White man arrested in Sambisa is French citizen

• Army says he’s  ‘Boko Haram’s engineer’

The white man who was captured in Sambisa forest during the invasion of Boko Haram’s stronghold by Nigerian soldiers, has been identified as French national and  is currently in the custody of the army.

Until his arrest, the man is a  specialist  in the repair and unlocking of  armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and other fighting equipment of the insurgents.

It was gathered that the man’s identity was being concealed by the government and the military authorities for diplomatic reasons.

“He was arrested along the Bama axis of the Sambisa forest and agreed to give vital information provided he would be spared,” a soldier, who took part in the operation, was quoted as saying.

“I learnt that he is from France but authorities do not want to make his real identity known for diplomatic reasons…They  don’t want to jeopardize the success recorded.”

Ahead of the clearance of the forest, the military reportedly mobilised troops with light rocket propelled grenades and weapons they did not use previously.

Quoting another source, the paper said the light RPGs could be carried on by soldiers on their shoulders for long distances because of their light weight and were used against far-flung targets.

Sambisa, a 60,000 square kilometres, had been the nightmare of security forces, including their foreign allies, who provided assistance over the years.